THE HOUSE AT RIVERTON | THE SHIFTING FOG
– Could you keep a secret your entire life? –
Summer 1924: On the night of a glittering Society party, by the lake of a grand English country house, a young poet takes his life. The only witnesses, sisters Hannah and Emmeline Hartford, will never speak to each other again.
Winter 1999: Grace Bradley, 98, onetime housemaid of Riverton Manor, is visited by a young director making a film about the poet’s suicide. Ghosts awaken and memories, long consigned to the dark reaches of Grace’s mind, begin to sneak back through the cracks. A shocking secret threatens to emerge; something history has forgotten but Grace never could.
Set as the Edwardian summer finally surrenders to the decadent twenties, The House at Riverton is the multimillion-copy bestselling novel, and one of the most successful debuts of all time.
– Sunday Times #1 Bestseller –
– New York Times Bestseller –
– 2007 Richard & Judy Best Read of the Year (winner) –
– 2008 National Book Awards Popular Fiction Book of the Year, UK (short-listed) –
– 2007 Australian Book Industry Awards (winner) –
– Nielsen Gold Book Award 2010 –
– Golden Pan Award, UK 1,000,000 copies sold –
– Indie Next Outstanding Debut Winter 2009 –
CRITICAL PRAISE
‘Morton triumphs with a riveting plot, a touching but tense love story and a haunting ending.’ — Publishers Weekly (starred review)
‘An extraordinary debut . . . written with a lovely turn of phrase. [Morton] knows how to eke out tantalizing secrets and drama.’ — Sunday Telegraph (UK)
‘Full of lovely writing, grand houses, snobbery, cruelty and passion, this compelling mystery-cum-love story . . . is utterly addictive . . . A brilliant Australian debut.’ — Australian Women’s Weekly
‘An extremely accomplished mystery story . . . haunting and enthralling . . . exquisite not only in the writing but also in the structure.’ — Good Reading
‘ [A] thoroughly engrossing read, beautifully written with the occasional flash of humour. It is some time since I found a novel so satisfying.’ — SA Life
‘[B]oth an atmospheric murder mystery and a family saga that beautifully evokes a past era . . . This is an enthralling tale about the extremes people go to in the name of love and duty.’ — Next
‘A stunning must-read story that’s set for stardom.’ — Time Out
‘[O]ne of those novels… you may not intend to stay up until 3am, but there you are, turning the pages faster and faster, pretending the alarm clock isn’t set for 7am.’ — Irish Times